Peristalis is a propulsive activity that involves both circular and longitudinal muscle layers of the esophagus, distal stomach, and small and large intestines. During peristalsis, the circular smooth muscle contracts behind (on the orad side) the bolus and relaxes in front (on the aborad side) of the bolus. At the same time, the longitudinal muscle relaxes orad to the bolus and contracts on the aborad side of the bolus. To help students understand how contraction of the longitudinal muscle on the aborad side of the bolus promotes propulsion, the authors used a simple, inexpensive model, a "finger trap" (also known as a Chinese finger trap, a Chinese finger puzzle, Chinese thumb cuff, Chinese handcuffs, and similar alternatives). The demonstration instructions are presented in this article.